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Basecamp vs Harvest Forecast

Basecamp logo

Basecamp

All industries

Project management & team collaboration software

From
Free
Rated
-
Harvest Forecast logo

Harvest Forecast

Calendar & Time Management

Simple visual resource planning

From
$5/month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Only Basecamp has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Basecamp the free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage; Harvest Forecast the free plan allows a single seat and 2 projects
  • They diverge on capability: Basecamp covers Message boards, Harvest Forecast covers Visual scheduling.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Basecamp and Harvest Forecast actually diverge.

Attributes where Basecamp and Harvest Forecast differ
AttributeBasecampHarvest Forecast
Starting priceFree$5/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
CategoryAll industriesCalendar & Time Management
Founded20042006

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Basecamp

  • Message boards
  • To-do lists
  • Schedules
  • Documents & files
  • Group chat
  • Check-in questions
  • Hill Charts
  • Email forwards

Only in Harvest Forecast

  • Visual scheduling
  • Capacity planning
  • Project assignments
  • Utilization reports
  • Harvest integration
  • Google Calendar
  • iCal
  • Web support

Both cover

  • Harvest

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Basecamp

  • Project management for a small team in one placenot Harvest Forecast
  • Message boards and chat alongside to-dosnot Harvest Forecast
  • Client collaboration, since guests are not chargednot Harvest Forecast
  • Flat-rate project management for a larger team on Pro Unlimitednot Harvest Forecast

Harvest Forecast

  • Time tracking and invoicing against client projectsnot Basecamp
  • Forecasting team capacity and scheduling worknot Basecamp

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Basecamp

  • The free tier allows one project and 1 GB of storage
  • Pro is $15 per user per month, so cost scales with headcount unlike the flat Pro Unlimited at $299 a month billed annually
  • Storage beyond the plan costs $50 a month per additional terabyte
  • Timesheet and the Admin Pro Pack are paid upgrades on Pro and only bundled with Pro Unlimited

Harvest Forecast

  • The free plan allows a single seat and 2 projects
  • Paid plans bill per seat with usage charged beyond the base rate rather than being purely flat
  • The Enterprise plan is $14 per seat per month against $9 on Teams
  • The 20% saving requires annual payment
  • Enterprise Plus is custom priced

Pricing, plan by plan

Basecamp

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Basecamp review.

Harvest Forecast

$5/month
  • Per seat$5/month
    • Visual planning
    • Harvest integration
    • Team scheduling

Which should you pick?

Choose Basecamp if

  • You need message boards.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want to-do lists.

Choose Harvest Forecast if

  • You need visual scheduling.
  • You also want capacity planning.

Questions people ask

Is Basecamp or Harvest Forecast better?
Neither clearly leads. Basecamp starts at Free and Harvest Forecast at $5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Basecamp or Harvest Forecast?
Basecamp has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Basecamp and $5/month for Harvest Forecast.
Does Basecamp or Harvest Forecast run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Basecamp for free?
Yes. Basecamp has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Harvest Forecast starts at $5/month.
What is Basecamp best used for?
Basecamp is most often used for project management for a small team in one place, message boards and chat alongside to-dos, client collaboration, since guests are not charged, flat-rate project management for a larger team on pro unlimited. Of those, project management for a small team in one place and message boards and chat alongside to-dos are not what Harvest Forecast is typically brought in for.
What can Basecamp do that Harvest Forecast cannot?
Basecamp covers Message boards, To-do lists, Schedules, Documents & files. Harvest Forecast covers Visual scheduling, Capacity planning, Project assignments, Utilization reports. Both handle Harvest.

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